China's two penalties crush Harimau Muda in warm-up action in Doha

KUALA LUMPUR - Luck was not on the side of Malaysia’s Under-23 (U-23) squad as they lost 1-2 to China in a closed international friendly match at Qatar University, Doha, last night.

China broke the deadlock in the 26th minute through a penalty kick by Aifeierding Aisikaer before Fergus Tierney scored the equaliser for the Harimau Muda squad coached by Juan Torres Garrido in the 61st minute.

However, a second penalty kick awarded to China saw Aisikaer calmly score his second personal goal in the 85th minute to confirm the team's victory.

For the record, this was the second defeat for Harimau Muda in three international friendly matches against China after winning 1-0 and losing 1-2 in the clashes in Shanghai, last December.

The Harimau Muda, preparing for the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup in Qatar from April 15 to May 3, will play the final warm-up match against the home team there this Sunday.

In the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup campaign, Malaysia, who were drawn in Group D, will begin with a match against Uzbekistan on April 17, followed by Vietnam (April 20) and Kuwait (April 23) with the mission to advance to at least the quarter-finals.

Only the top two teams in each group qualify for the quarter-finals and have the opportunity to continue the challenge of grabbing three automatic slots to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, while the fourth-best team of the tournament will play a play-off match against Guinea in Paris this May. - BERNAMA